Melanesian Meriam people are an Indigenous Australian group of Torres Strait Islander people who are united by a common language, strong ties of kinship and live as skilled hunter–fisher–gatherers in family groups or clans on a number of outer eastern Torres Strait Islands including Mer or Murray Island, Ugar or Stephen Island and Erub or Darnley Island. The Meriam people are perhaps best known for their involvement in the High Court of Australia's Mabo decision which fundamentally changed land law in Australia - recognising native title.

Although gardening takes priority, each Meriam family has sea rights, and on the reefs in front of their houses, which are mainly built above the beach, they maintain stone fish-weirs and crayfish holes.

Demographics

Melanesian Meriam people primarily reside in a small island of volcanic origin situated at the eastern end of the Torres Strait, known as Mer (Murray) Island. The Murray group also comprises two other islands, Erub (Darnely) and Ugar (Stephens) Islands in which traditional laws of boundary and ownership organise them.

{| class="wikitable"

|

|Mer Island

|Erub Island

|-

| colspan="3" |People

|-

|Male

|227 (50.8%)

|173 (52.7%)

|-

|Female

|220 (49.2%)

|155 (47.3%)

|-

|Aboriginal and/ or Torres Strait Islander people

|432 (96.4%)

|310 (95.7%)

|-

| colspan="3" |Ancestry

|-

|Torres Strait Islander

|356 (72.1%)

|243 (62.1%)

|-

|Australian

|21 (4.3%)

|24 (6.1%)

|-

|Australian Aboriginal

|16 (3.2%)

|28 (7.2%)

|-

|English

|12 (2.4%)

|0 (0%)

|-

|Irish

|7 (1.4%)

|0 (0%)

|-

| colspan="3" |Religion

|-

|Anglican

|210 (45.7%)

|79 (23.4%)

|-

|Christian

|74 (16.1%)

|53 (15.7%)

|-

|Pentecostal

|46 (10%)

|80 (23.7%)

|-

|Other spiritual beliefs

|12 (2.6%)

|40 (11.8%)

|-

|Not stated

|77 (16.7%)

|39 (11.5%)

|-

| colspan="3" |Languages

|-

|Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole)

|236 (52.6%)

|243 (73.9%)

|-

|Meriam Mir

|106 (23.6%)

|0 (0%)

|-

|English only

|16 (3.6%)

|13 (4.0%)

|-

|Households where a non-English language is spoken

|83 (69.7%)

|62 (75.6%)

|}

Table 1. Data collected from ABS (2016)

Mer and Erub Island both have a large population hence ABS data regarding demographics is available on the two islands, Ugar Island only comprises a small population of 85 people. Indigenous cultural groups rituals and practices are characterised by their beliefs in the Dreamtime and mythologies. Meriam people differ from other Indigenous groups as many of their rituals are surrounded by their engagement in agriculture and farming. These totems play great significance from the moment an Indigenous child is born, as at the time of birth a child is given a totem in order to connect them to their physical and kin relatedness. However, the following totems are known for the following tribes of the Mer people:

  • Komet, totems include sardine and mangrove
  • Zagareb, totems include seagull and Torres Strait pigeon
  • Meauram, totems include turtle
  • Magaram, totems include whale and snake
  • Geuram, totems include whale, snake and dove
  • Peibrem totems include mantaray
  • Meriam-samsep, totems include tiger shark, Torres Strait pigeon and driftwood totems
  • Piadram, totems include tiger shark, Torres Strait pigeon, driftwood and whale
  • Dauer Meriam totem includes Tagai constellation

Mythology and cosmogony

The stories told by elders to the younger generations allow for the transgenerational learning of the Meriam culture.

Torres Strait Islanders in particular the Mer people are seafarers, sea country was used as a place for gardening, hunting, fishing, ceremonies, art, music, dance and storytelling. When the old man notices he is being fooled he takes Geigi disguised as the kingfish home one night for dinner and eats him, falling asleep soon after under a tree. Gelam was a boy who lived in Moa Island in the Torres Strait, he was known for his skilful hunting. In the death rituals and customs of Meriam people of the Murray Island, bright meteors play an important role which relate to spiritual elements of death rites. The Mer people gather together performing dances, prayers and feast to acknowledge the achievements of the applicants.

Politicians

  • The five Meriam people who contributed to the Mabo Case
  • Eddie Koiki Mabo, land rights campaigner
  • Reverend David Passi, Anglican priest, traditional landowner and land rights campaigner
  • Sam Passi, school teacher and linguist
  • James Rice
  • Celuia Mapo Sale
  • Thelma Weston – named Female Elder of the Year for lifelong work as a nurse and health worker

See also

  • Meriam language
  • Torres Strait Islanders

References

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  • Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. (n.d.). The Mabo Case. https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/mabo-case
  • Bliege, B. R., Smith, A. E., & Bird, W. D. (2001). The hunting handicap: Costly signaling in human foraging strategies. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 50(1), 9–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002650100338
  • Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. (2012). Growing up in the Torres Strait region. https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/05_2012/op17.pdf
  • Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. (30 October 2017). Murray Island Group, national heritage assessment. Murray Island Group proposed National Heritage Listing. https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/consultations/c3560a05-dc45-4deb-b723-63eeea204552/files/murray-island-group-assessment-history.pdf
  • Gardiner-Garden, J. (1999). From dispossession to reconciliation (Research paper 27 1998–99). Parliament of Australia. https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp9899/99Rp27
  • Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. (2021). Language, totems and stories. https://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/our-partners/traditional-owners/traditional-owners-of-the-great-barrier-reef/language-totems-and-stories
  • Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. (n.d.). Sea country connections. https://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/4802/gbrmpa_ReefBeat_2010SCC_6.pdf
  • Guedes, C. B., Hamacher, D. W., Barsa, J., Day, E., Day, R., Passi, S. & Tapim, A. (2018). Death and maier: meteors and mortuary rites in the eastern Torres Strait. Australian Journal of Indigenous Issues, 21(3), 39–59.
  • Kelisi. (2006). Map of Torres Strait Island. [Image]. In wikimedia commons. TorresStraitIslandsMap.png
  • Meriam land returns to traditional owners. (7 January 2013). Torres News. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/255245890?searchTerm=meriam%20people
  • Meriam people pay tribute to Mabo. (7 June 2002).  Torres News. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/255442648/28341215
  • National Gallery of Australia. (2021). Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander art. https://nga.gov.au/collections/atsi/gallery.cfm?displaygal=17b&mnuid=
  • Queensland Government. (2018). Mer (Murray Island). https://www.qld.gov.au/atsi/cultural-awareness-heritage-arts/community-histories/community-histories-m/community-histories-mer
  • Reconciliation Australia. (n.d.). Our culture. http://www.shareourpride.org.au/sections/our-culture/index.html
  • Sharp, N. (1993). 'Stars of Tagai: The Torres Strait Islanders', Aboriginal Studies Press. Drawing partly on the work of H. Kitaoji, Miriam Perception of Themselves unpub. paper 1980, pp.&nbsp;56–57; Cambridge Reports VI, 1908, p 174
  • Tapim, E. (n.d.). Gelam. [Video]. State Library of Queensland. https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/discover/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-cultures-and-stories/contemporary-stories/retold#
  • Torres Strait Island Regional Council. (2016). Mer. http://www.tsirc.qld.gov.au/communities/mer
  • TSIMA Films. (24 December 2020). The story of Geigi & Nageg – Torres Strait animation. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMxweYkqI28
  • University of Sydney. (n.d.) Dr Vanessa Lee. https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/vanessa-lee.html
  • Zhuang, Y. (6 July 2019). Legendary actor David Gulpilil wins top NAIDOC honour. Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/national/legendary-actor-david-gulpilil-wins-top-naidoc-honour-20190706-p524sd.html